IGP show-caused

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The home ministry has issued a show cause notice on Inspector General of Police (IGP) Nur Mohammad asking him to explain his comments on non-promulgation of the proposed police ordinance to the media on September 22.

A home ministry source said the notice signed by Deputy Secretary Anwarul Islam from Law Section-2 was sent to the IGP on Tuesday, 22 days after he made the comments.

Contacted, IGP Nur Mohammad told The Daily Star yesterday he received a letter from the home ministry on Tuesday.

The show cause notice was issued on the basis of reports run by different electronic and print media on his comments.

The notice asked the IGP to explain and mention those sections of the Police Act, 1861 which are contrary to impartial investigations.

The seemingly frustrated police chief had commented: “Police investigations have never been conducted strongly, it’s not being so right now and will never be. It’s obvious.”

The notice also asked him to clarify the relationship between non-promulgation of the proposed police ordinance and result of the case investigations.

Besides, the notice mentioned that the criminal cases are investigated under the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), 1898. The relation between the criminal case investigations and the Police Act-1861 is very little, it added.

Asked, the IGP said he would reply within a week, though the notice did not mention any specific time.

Contacted, Home Secretary Abdul Karim admitted the issuance of the notice and said, “I cannot say anything without going through the file.”

The notice also attached one of the comments “The Police Ordinance is not being reformed as it might affect the interest of someone” published in daily newspapers on September 23.

He termed the police “a weak force” which has been failing to run strong investigations into cases including those for corruption.

“To have a police department on its own, let’s have the ordinance passed. But it is not being done”, he made the observation in reply to journalists’ questions while coming out of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) headquarters after meeting its Chairman Lt Gen (retd) Hasan Mashhud Chowdhury.

To strengthen the force, a draft ordinance was prepared which has not been approved yet, he said. “I have been vocal for about two years to get the ordinance passed, but it’s not being passed since it might affect someone’s interest somewhere.”

The police department is being run according to the police laws of 1861. The caretaker government initiated a reformation project and formulated draft “police ordinance” by reforming the laws. Though the draft has been submitted to the ministry and opinions were taken from cross-section of people, the draft has yet to be passed.

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